The Reaper Crysis (Rewrite)
by AlphaGuardian
Summary: Spectre Squad is an elite team of soldiers equiped with the latest combat technology: the Nanosuits. Forced into a place they know nothing about, and surrounded by a shady organization they know they cannot trust, they must adapt and overcome. But one holds a past he must face, and everything they know will be strained to a breaking point when his past comes to a head.
1. Cerberus

Prologue: Cerberus

**Okay. Now that this has been rewritten, I hope it's a lot better. If you read the original, you're already familiar with a lot that happens, so don't be surprised. I did change some things, though. So be prepared for a bit of surprise.**

* * *

><p>"Answer me. Now."<p>

"Fuck you."

He barely finished his sentence before a small baton slapped him in the gut and sent a jolt of electricity through his suit. Greg's breath was forced from his lungs and he doubled over from the pain.

"_**EMP assault. Systems impaired. Rerouting primary functions. Please wait.**_" The Nanosuit's AI told him.

_Great._ He thought. _Now I'm really fucked._

This had gone on for an hour now, at the least. He had woken up here after falling through that portal in space, and he had immediately been interrogated. He didn't know where his team was, he didn't know where _he_ was. And he certainly didn't know why these people wanted to know so much. His bones felt like lead in his skin as he tried in vain to stand up and fight. Much more of this, he realized, and he would be dead from a synaptic overload.

"Are you going to tell me what I want to know?"

"Fuck," He gasped, "you."

"Fine by me."

A foot connected with his midsection and Greg felt multiple ribs crack and splinter.

"_**Operator damage detected. Beginning repairs.**_" The suit's AI said.

"Lieutenant!" Someone new barked out. "Enough."

"Sir!"

"Leave. I can handle this."

"But, sir-?"

"Did I begin that sentence with 'If it pleases you, Your Highness'? No. Now leave. I can handle this."

"Yes, sir."

The clatter of boots on the ground told Greg that the new person was standing over him. Greg coughed and tasted coppery blood on his tongue.

"Well, you look pretty pathetic right now." The new person said.

"Tell me something," He said between coughs, "I don't know."

"This was all a test."

"Well, fuck." Greg said as he stood up. The man was about as tall as him.

"Funny, right? I never expected you to last this long. No one ever does."

"Why the test, then?"

"To see if you could hold up to the interrogation."

"And why was that?"

"The Illusive Man, my boss, has a… special interest… in your team. He wants you to work for us."

"And why the hell should I do that? I just got the shit beat out of me by one of your men."

"That was a test, and an extreme one at that. The Illusive Man demands the best from Cerberus operatives, but we'll treat you and your team well, especially with those suits of yours."

"You're not serious, though? Me? Join you? I don't even know anything about you people."

"It's not like you have much of a choice, is it? You don't know anything about where you are."

"Ah, shit. Yeah, you're right."

"Cerberus can give you a place here. We can give you a purpose. The only thing we ask for is loyalty."

"This all just sounds too good to be true."

"Everything I've told you so far is completely true."

_Yeah, but what about what you're NOT telling me?_ Greg thought.

"Are you in or out?" The man asked.

_Join a shady organization or run? _He wondered. _Probably get killed before I got much farther than I am now._

"I'm in."

"I was hoping you'd say that, considering your teammates already joined up. The Illusive Man is waiting for you. This way."

He led Greg out of the small room and into a long grey corridor dotted with doors along either wall. In front of them were two men with suits similar to Greg's.

"Hey, Major. You look like shit." One said.

"Shut up."

"What? You do."

"Shut. Up."

"I think you win." The other said with an elbow jab to the first. Greg sighed, smacked his forehead with his open palm and followed the Cerberus man.

"_He tell you anything, Major?" _One asked Greg over a comm channel.

"Not really, Shadow. We'll find out from the Illusive Man, I guess."

"_The who?"_

"The Illusive Man. Leader of Cerberus. I know, sounds suspicious, but we don't have much choice, now do we?"

"_Guess not._"

"He's waiting for you inside. Just step on the comm pad inside, it's already linked and ready." The Cerberus operative said when they reached a door at the end of the corridor.

The trio opened the door and entered a darkened room. The lights came on as they entered and the comm pad on the floor lit up as well. An orange and black insignia adorned the walls on either side of them.

"Well, that's nice." Shadow remarked, indicating to the insignia.

"Let's not keep the big boss man waiting." Greg stepped onto the comm pad beside his friends. A hum resounded in his ears as an orange beam ran up and down his body. A holographic image of a man sitting in a chair facing away from them appeared in front of them.

"_Gentlemen._" He began as he took a drag of his cigarette."_Let me officially welcome you to Cerberus._ _Time is short, so I'll be brief._"

An image appeared beside the Illusive Man, showing a planet. It was calm and serene, the vast oceans flanking the continents.

"_This was Earth, two days ago. Readying for war._"

"'For war'?" Greg asked.

Another image replaced the first. Earth was on fire, almost literally. Nearly every continent was burning, and giant squid-like ships were in orbit above the planet, with some entering the atmosphere and descending to the surface.

"_This is Earth, just fifteen hours later. Those ships are called Reapers. They come in cycles, every fifty thousand years, to harvest all advanced life in the galaxy._"

"Dear Lord…" Greg breathed. "Is there any way to stop them?"

"_I have people working on that, and they've found a promising lead. I'm sending you to Mars. There's a data archive there from a long-dead civilization, wiped out by the Reapers. From what my agent there tells me, these Protheans came close to defeating the Reapers. They had plans to destroy them, but ran out of time. My agent will extract the data, but I need you three to keep her safe from any… unwanted visitors._"

"What do you mean by 'unwanted visitors'?" Shadow asked.

"_The Systems Alliance represents most of humanity. They control the Mars Archives, and hold a less than favorable view of Cerberus._ _They may send soldiers to investigate. Or as part of a retreat from the Reapers._"

"Could these soldiers already be there?"

"_It's a possibility, but I'm sure you can handle it. I'll provide you with a full briefing when you're en route._"

"Then we'd better be on our way." Greg said.

"_Operative Lucas has already prepared a shuttle for you. Your weapons are there, as are some from Cerberus' armory. Take what you need._"

"Thank you."

"_I appreciate the show of faith, Mr.…?_" He trailed off in confusion.

"Just call me Nemesis. My friends here are Shadow and Deadshot. We're Spectre Squad."

"_Then I wish you luck, Spectre._"

The link was cut and the trio of Nanosoldiers filed out.

"Well, shit." Deadshot sighed. "And here I thought I was going to be able to take a nap after falling _through a goddamn alien wormhole_."

"Why do you always bitch at every possible moment?" Greg demanded. "I mean, this is ridiculous, dude. You bitch at _everything_. Just shut up and deal with it."

"Complaining is how I blow off stress. Jesus, do you have to be so uptight?"

"I'm not uptight. I'm just sick of you bitching about everything. How did you ever become a SEAL?"

"I didn't have as much stress back then."

"So there _was_ a point in time when you were a decent soldier? I never knew." Shadow commented.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're an asshole?"

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're a pathological complainer?" Greg retorted.

"Actually yes. And they're both right beside me."

"Well, now that that's out of the way, I think we can get on to business."

"_**Connection established**_." Greg's suit AI told him.

Data files streamed across his HUD. He now had access to the entire Cerberus intel network. His curiosity got the better of him and he decided to start digging. The first thing he searched for were the Ceph, but he got no mention. In fact, he found no mention of the Nanosuits either. As if they didn't exist. No Crynet, no CELL no…

Anything. Nothing that he remembered existed.

_Shepard._ He thought. _What the hell is Shepard?! Where did that come from?_

_May as well take a look anyway._

A single file appeared. The image at the top was that of a red-haired woman. Her sharp, sky-blue eyes staring back at him as if studying him.

_Shepard, Jane. Human. Female._

_Commander, Alliance Navy._

_Commander Shepard is a well-known and respected biotic Vanguard in the Alliance Navy. Born 2154 on Arcturus Station, Shepard soon learned how to live like a soldier, having to move from ship to ship as her parents were transferred._

_While it is known that she had an older brother, he was reported missing four years after Jane's birth, and hasn't been seen since. She also had a much older brother named Garrett, but he was killed on Shanxi, during the First Contact War._

_At the age of eighteen, Shepard enlisted in the Alliance Navy, following in the footsteps of her parents. She gained notoriety during the Skyllian Blitz of 2178, where on Elysium, she held off an invading force of slavers from the Terminus Systems until Alliance reinforcements arrived._

_In 2183, Commander Shepard was the executive officer of the SSV Normandy when the crew went to Eden Prime to investigate a Prothean beacon that had been unearthed. This was where she discovered that a Citadel Council Spectre named Saren Arterius had gone rogue, and allied with the Geth to get the beacon. After proving Saren's rogue status, Commander Shepard became the first human Spectre and was tasked with hunting him down. She was given command of the Normandy, and uncovered Saren's true goal: the return of the Reapers, a sentient race of ships that would wipe out all life in the galaxy. Shepard stopped the rogue Spectre and destroyed his flagship, a Reaper called Sovereign, on the Citadel._

_In the aftermath of the Battle of the Citadel, Commander Shepard was tasked with investigating reports of Geth activity in the Attican Traverse. During this investigation, the Normandy was attacked by an unknown ship, and destroyed. Commander Shepard was presumed dead._

_A human splinter organization called Cerberus recovered Shepard's body, and over the course of two years, brought her back to life using cybernetic implants. They also rebuilt the Normandy and tasked Shepard with stopping the Collectors, who were under the control of the Reapers and had been harvesting human colonies for the last two years. Commander Shepard and her team ventured through the Omega-4 mass relay to the center of the galaxy, where the Collectors had built their base, and destroyed it, against the wishes of Cerberus._

_After the assault on the Collector Base, Shepard turned the Normandy in to the Alliance and was detained for working with Cerberus. In the wake of the Reaper invasion, she has been reinstated and is now seeking the aid of the Citadel Council for help against the Reapers._

_Damn… _Greg thought._ she's… familiar? No, no, no, no, that's not what I meant. She's… really familiar. What the hell?_

He shook the thoughts and entered the shuttle behind his team. He grabbed his Marshall shotgun and Majestic-Six revolver, sifting through a crate of ammo beside them and grabbing three cylinders for his revolver and forty shells for the Marshall.

"Where'd they get these guns? They're fuckin' sweet." Shadow said as he grabbed a pistol from the rack in the back of the shuttle.

"Devon. Come on. A pistol?" Deadshot asked.

"Hey, it looks pretty badass."

"No, dude. _This,_" Greg hefted a machine gun over his shoulder, "is badass."

"It's unwieldy as shit, dude."

"Says you. That's what I have Power Mode for."

"The recoil's gotta kill you." Deadshot commented as he grabbed a sniper rifle from the rack.

"Come on, Ian, that thing's just as bad." Devon said.

"Hey, I'm the guy who uses the long range stuff."

"Very true."

"All right, guys. Gear up, find ammo for these things, find some other equipment for the mission." Greg said.

"What're these red cylinders for?" Devon asked as he showed one to the others.

"Hey, it's ammo."

"That's kinda weird. Wait… where'd they get the regular ammo from, then?"

"Got me. But… wait a… oh, shit." Ian said.

"What?"

"The shuttle is flying itself."

"No shit?" Devon asked

"No shit. Look."

There was no one in the pilot seat, and yet the shuttle _was_ flying.

"What. The. Hell?"

"Wasn't the Illusive Man going to brief us?" Ian asked.

"He was."

A window appeared on Greg's HUD, showing that a comm channel was being established.

"And here it is."

"_Gentlemen. The Mars facility has been shut down. My agent is heading for the archives, but there's a ship heading for the facility, the SSV Normandy SR-2._"

"Commander Shepard." Greg whispered.

"_I figured you had accessed the network. Yes, Commander Shepard and her team are heading for Mars as well. You'll need to deal with them."_

"Got it."

"_I ask only one thing: leave Shepard alive, she may yet be of some use to Cerberus._"

"Got it."

"_Good luck, and do not underestimate them. They are extremely capable and deadly._"

"We won't. Sir." Greg said.

The Illusive Man smirked at the corner of his mouth. If Greg hadn't had the enhancements of the Nanosuit, he never would have seen it just as the link cut.

"Alright, boys. We got a species to save." Greg said.

"Do you know anything about what we're up against?" Devon asked.

"I know that Commander Shepard is a biotic. Whatever that means."

"So nothing, really?" Ian said.

"Not a damn clue."

"Perfect. Feels like New York all over again."

"Which time? I was at both."

"Second ti- wait a damn minute. You were there _both_ times?" Devon said.

"Yep."

"Damn. What about Lingshan?"

"I was there, too. Didn't have a suit, though."

"Shit, dude. That's freaking crazy. How are you not insane?"

"I have no idea. How long until we get to Mars?"

"About…" Devon walked into the cockpit and glanced at the monitors, "Eight hours."

"Good. At least I don't have to wait for a long time to be away from the condescension."

"Thought that was your job? Sir." Ian said.

"Screw off. I'm gonna find out what these 'biotics' are."

"You do that." Devon said as he grabbed his Mk.60 light machine gun and his predator bow.

Greg accessed the Cerberus intel network again and found the file on biotics.

_Biotics is the ability of rare individuals to manipulate dark energy and create mass effect fields through the use of electrical impulses from the brain. Intense training and surgically implanted amplifiers are necessary for a biotic to produce mass effect fields powerful enough for practical use. The relative strength of biotic abilities varies greatly among species and with each individual._

_There are three branches of biotics: Telekinesis uses mass-lowering fields to levitate or impel objects. Mass-raising kinetic fields are used to block or pin objects. Distortion uses rapidly shifting mass fields to shred objects._

"You gotta be fucking kidding me right now." Greg breathed as he kept reading.

_Most organic species are capable of developing biotic abilities, though there are risks involved. Biotics are the result of in-utero exposure to element zero. This usually causes fatal cancers in the victim, but in rare cases it coalesces into nodules within the fetus' developing nervous system._

"Whoa. That's some kinda shit."

"What'd you find?" Ian asked.

"Lots. These biotics are like… even the Ceph didn't have this. It's telekinesis. They can lower or increase the mass of things, tear things apart so fast it's ridiculous. This… if I didn't know any better, I'd call it magic."

"Well, I guess we'll find out soon, won't we?"

"Yeah. I'll see about contacting this Cerberus agent, see what I can dig up. Dev, get some satellite images. Anything. Ian, see if you can get me some info on the _Normandy_ and her crew. I want anything you can get me."

"On it."

"Got it, boss."

Greg let out the breath he had been holding as his thoughts ran wild. _These people have fucking telekinetics! Magic! Can the suit even take that kind of abuse? It stood up to the Ceph and CELL, but they weren't using freaking magic on us. We have to try, I guess._

Devon found him some dated maps of the facility and Ian transmitted all Cerberus files related to the _Normandy_. Nothing on the crew, though, and Greg couldn't get a comm link to the Cerberus agent.

"Well, we're really going in blind, guys."

"We'll be at the LZ in five minutes." Devon reported.

"All right, Spectre. Let's go kick some ass."

Greg grabbed his Majestic and slapped a reflex sight that he got from his suit's mod pouch. He also put a reflex sight on his Marshall. For the machine gun, which he found to be called an M-76 Revenant, he extended the barrel and put in a few recoil dampners.

"We all good?" He asked as he folded up the Revenant and stuck it next to his Marshall.

"Good, sir." Devon reported.

"Clear." Ian said.

"Good. Shadow. Pop the hatch. We're gonna jump and save some time."

"Sir." Devon walked to the side door and hit the button to open the door. "Open, sir."

"We jump on three."

He looked out over the Red Planet. A massive cloud of dust was racing for the facility, but the more pressing concern was the shuttle that was landing about a kilo away.

"**I think that's from the **_**Normandy.**_" Ian said, his voice synthetically filtered by his suit.

"**Me too. Let's get down there. Three!**"

Greg jumped out first, spreading his arms to reduce the speed of his fall. The wind rushed up to greet him and his comrades as they fell.

"_**Maximum Armor.**_" The suit AI said as Greg's suit started to pulse blue.

It felt good to be back in action.

* * *

><p>"Whoa. Commander?" James pointed to a shuttle that was flying about a kilometer ahead of them and a good half-kilo above the ground. It was white, but there was no clear way to tell who it belonged to.<p>

"Is that… Cerberus?" Kaidan asked.

"Don't know. Anyone got a good scope?" Jane asked.

"No, Commander."

"I got nothing."

"Then we'll have to hope that they're not. But we have to find that data. Let's move, but be careful."

Jane had a bad feeling about that shuttle, but she kept it to herself as she led her team on.

_Why didn't it land?_ She wondered. _What kind of shuttle just flies by and leaves? Now I'm getting a really bad feeling about all of this._

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so as you may have noticed, if you read the first iteration of the book, I made a few changes. But, it should be much better, I hope.<strong>

**Drop the 'views, and I'll get started with the next chapter: First to Fight, Last to Leave.**

**-AG**


	2. First to Fight

Chapter 1: First to Fight, Last to Leave

**Hey! Sorry for the ridiculous gap, but I've had a lot going on (Fallout, Dragon Age, Far Cry, Mass Effect, etc.) Okay, so back to the story, right?**

* * *

><p><em>Mars. Prothean Archives Airspace.<em>

Greg took a deep breath as the ground began to get closer. He hadn't fallen this far in a long time, but he knew the suit could take the impact.

"_**Air stomp activated.**_" The suit's AI said.

Greg cocked his fist back and slammed it into the ground, negating the shock of the fall entirely. Devon and Ian followed suit a moment later, creating three large holes in the ground in an almost equilateral triangle fashion.

"**Everyone all right?**" Greg asked.

"**Good, sir.**" Devon reported.

"**Fine.**" Ian added.

"**Let's find this agent and see what we can do to help.**" Greg said.

"**And maybe crack some heads in the process.**" Devon added as they started walking.

The base was sealed up, but a quick coded burst transmission to the Cerberus agent opened the main door for the trio and allowed them access to the garage.

"**Tight security.**" Ian said.

"**Good thing we have an inside source.**" Greg added.

The elevator was waiting for them, along with a woman. She had pale skin, black hair, and hazel eyes. She also wore a lab coat, but Greg knew that was just a ruse.

"Spectre Squad. The Illusive Man told me you were coming. Dr. Eva Core."

"**Just call me Nemesis. What are we after?**" Greg said.

"A data cache here on Mars. I have troops securing the facility, but I need you three to watch my back. I have a feeling we're going to get some unwanted company."

"**We saw a shuttle touch down about a klick away. Flew Alliance colors.**"

"Then we're really short on time. Come on, we need to go."

"**Lead the way.**"

Dr. Core took them through the garage and the transit areas. "We're still rounding up the last of the scientists. Don't want word getting out that we're here."

"**Apparently that didn't work.**" Ian commented.

"They don't know _we're _here, they just know that the facility has gone silent."

"**That shuttle belongs to the **_**Normandy**_**, you know.**" Greg said.

"Should be interesting, then."

"_Doctor! We've got Alliance soldiers!_" A Cerberus soldier reported.

"Well, hold them off! We need this data!" Dr. Core snapped back.

"_That's-_" a mushy squash echoed in the comm as the trooper fell silent and the link cut. "Damnit!"

"**Want us to handle them?**"

"No. These men will handle it. They can, and have to. You're here to make sure I can get this data to the Illusive Man. If they find us, then you can take them on."

"**Got it.**" They found their way to the tram station, and by that point, the Alliance soldiers had breached the base. The tram ride to the archives themselves was filled with scattered reports of the progress of the Alliance soldiers. By the time they reached the Archives, the Alliance soldiers were at the tram station.

"**Shadow. Stay out here. Fall back the second you see the Alliance soldiers. We need to know when they're coming.**" Greg said.

"**Got it.**"

"_Echo Squad is gone, Doctor. There's no one between us and the Alliance troops._" A Cerberus squad leader reported.

"Then make sure they don't get here. Detonate the tracks. Send Gamma Squad to do clean-up. We'll get them yet."

"Yes, ma'am.

* * *

><p>"This has been too easy. There should be more troops here." Kaidan said as the team got into the tram.<p>

"Don't say that just yet." Liara said. It had been good to find Liara here. They would need the help if Cerberus was here. Jane was still nervous about that shuttle from before. What had it been doing? She had a bad feeling about this.

"Across this tunnel are the Archives." Liara said.

"And a squad of pissed off Cerberus troops." Kaidan added.

A single tick was heard before the tracks blew up from under them. Jane and Liara were thrown to the floor, and Kaidan nearly lost his balance. In the wake of the explosion, they barely caught sight of the tram coming along the other side, filled with Cerberus troops.

"That's not good!" Kaidan said as he grabbed his M3 Predator pistol and opened fire.

Jane felt her M23 Katana shotgun unfold in her hands as she dropped behind the wall of the wrecked tram. Liara's M4 Shuriken submachine gun pulsed as Jane came up and blasted one trooper with her shotgun, punching a good sized hole in his chest as another trooper shot at her with his SMG, forcing the Commander back into cover as her shields fell. Kaidan and Liara both hit the same trooper with biotic Warp attacks which ripped the trooper apart at the molecular level. His screams of pain were drowned out by Jane's shotgun, which ripped the head off of another trooper. She came out of cover and jumped to the other tram, her entire body flaring purple as she slammed her fist into the ground. The resulting shockwave threw the last two troopers out of the tram and to their deaths.

"Let's get this show on the road." As she started the tram ahead, she noticed a black figure at the edge of the room that the tram connected to open a door and rush in. the door closed and locked just after the figure ran in.

"Did you see that? That black thing that ran through the door?" Kaidan asked.

"Yeah, I saw it." Jane responded.

"What was that? Some kind of Cerberus experiment?"

"I don't know. But we're going to find out."

* * *

><p>"<strong>Sir.<strong>" Devon walked up behind Greg. "**They've reached the tram station.**"

"**All right. Doctor! The Alliance soldiers are almost here.**"

"Take them by surprise. Make sure they don't know you're here."

"**Shadow, I want you on that rafter with your bow. Do not fire until I say to. Deadshot, find a good spot and put that new rifle to the test.**"

"**What about you?**" Devon asked.

"**I'll be right over there with my shotgun.**" He pointed to a spot near the door.

"**Okay.**"

"**Fall out and stay cloaked. We don't need them knowing we're here.**"

"_**Cloak engaged.**_" The suit AI told him.

Greg took his spot near the door and soon got a burst transmission from Devon and Ian which told him that they were in position as well. A few seconds later, the holographic panel on the door changed color from orange to green and the door opened up. Three people came through. The first, clad in black and red armor, removed her helmet, oblivious to the danger that she faced. She turned to one of her comrades, clad in blue armor. "Kaidan." She prompted as she tilted her head, a classic sign to patrol the room. He left, and Greg got a look at the third person. She was obviously an alien, judging from the blue skin alone.

Greg watched them head for the center of the room, where a giant pillar stood encased in glass. The panels near the pillar were still active, as they had been when Spectre Squad had entered. His suit showed that he still had over eighty percent of his suit energy left, enough to keep him invisible for a good minute or two, if he stayed still.

The alien started to put in commands to the terminal while the woman, who Greg recognized as Commander Shepard, stood and kept watch. A comm pad behind them came to life as the Illusive Man connected. He took a light drag from his cigarette before addressing the Commander.

"_Shepard._" The Commander whirled around on her heel while the alien grabbed a pistol from her belt. "Illusive Man?" the alien asked.

"_Fascinating race, the Protheans. They left all this for is to discover, and we've squandered it. The Alliance has known about the Archives for more than thirty years, and what have they done with it?_"

"What do you want?" Shepard asked.

The Illusive Man looked to the pillar, which Greg assumed to be the Archive itself. "_What I've always wanted. The data in these artifacts holds the key to solving the Reaper threat._"

"I've seen your solution. Your people are turned into monsters."

"_Hardly. They're being improved._"

_Turned into monsters?_ Greg wondered. Fifty percent of his suit energy remained.

"'Improved?'" Shepard asked, obviously not convinced.

"_That's what separates us, Shepard. Where you see a means to destroy, I see a way to control. To dominate and harness the Reapers' power. Imagine how strong humanity would be if we controlled them._"

"Earth is under siege, and you're hatching a scheme to control the Reapers?"

"_You've always been short-sighted. Hasty. Your destruction,_" an image of a hive-like structure appeared next to the Illusive Man, "_of the Collector base proved that._"

"That base was an abomination. Hundreds of thousands of people died there."

"_This isn't your fight any longer, Shepard. You can't win, even with the Prothean data._"

Ten percent. The suit's cloak mode shut down as Greg approached, shotgun in hand. "_That is, of course, assuming you can get it in the first place. Nemesis. How good of you to join us._"

Greg remained silent as Shepard stared in awe at the Nanosuit. "Goddess…" The alien breathed. She reached for her pistol, but Greg, fast as lightning, grabbed his Majestic revolver and shot it out of her hand. "**Not today.**" He said.

He sent a burst transmission to Devon and Ian demanding a report on the other person. Devon reported that the man was nearing Dr. Core, so he told Devon to take the man down as quietly as possible, but leave him alive.

"_Don't interfere with my plans, Shepard. I won't warn you again._"

"Duly noted." She responded.

"_Nemesis. Deal with the Commander._"

"**Gladly, sir.**"

The link cut as Greg brought up his shotgun and fired. A hail of high-velocity pellets smashed into Shepard's armor and threw her back into the alien. "_**Threat detected.**_" The suit AI told him.

He turned around and saw a purple ball heading for him. He had no time to dodge it at the speed it was coming at him. "_**Maximum Armor.**_" The sphere slammed into his armor and washed over him, the force much more than he had expected. He dropped to a knee as the force dissipated.

"_**Unknown energy detected. Beginning analysis.**_" He was already up and leveling his shotgun at the assailant, but Devon took out the man's legs and pinned him to the ground, giving him one good punch in the face and knocking him out cold.

Something collided with the back of Greg's head and staggered him, his armor taking most of the hit. He turned with his shotgun raised to find Shepard charging at him, weapon in hand, with her entire body blazing with a purple aura. She leaped into the air and cocked her fist back, aiming to smash it against Greg's helmet.

"_**Maximum Armor.**_"

As his suit pulsed blue, his hand shot up and wrapped around her fist, causing a premature and harmless discharge of the energy she had gathered.

"**Not good enough, Commander.**"

"_**Maximum Power.**_" He balled up his fist and slammed it into her gut as he let her other hand go, sending her across the room. She coughed up blood as Greg stalked over, grabbing his shotgun along the way.

"**You should count yourself lucky, Shepard. I'm not allowed to kill you yet.**"

He slapped the butt of the shotgun against her face and she was out cold, blood streaming from her nose and a few cuts on her face. His cold focus was suddenly broken. Why did she seem so familiar? He couldn't stop thinking about that. She _was_ familiar, but he couldn't place it…

"**Major!**" Ian shouted to him. "**That alien bitch got the data! We have to chase her down!**"

"**What?! Goddamnit, MOVE!**" He shouted back.

He took one final look at the Commander's unconscious form before following his team to find the alien.

* * *

><p>She could hardly move; she was in so much pain. Her eyes struggled to open as she regained consciousness. "Shepard!" Kaidan was at her side, a black eye the least of his troubles.<p>

"Thank God. I thought that thing had killed you."

"He…" She coughed up blood as she got to her feet. "He said that he wasn't allowed to."

"This isn't good. Where's Liara?"

"She got the data and ran, I think. Hopefully she's safe from those monsters."

"Well, let's see if we can find her and stay away from those things. Hackett needs to know about this."

"Are they robots? AI's with bodies, like the Geth?"

"I don't think so. They react too much like people. We'll need to get to the bottom of this, find a weakness."

"Well we're not going to find Liara standing here. Let's- ARGH!" She doubled over and coughed up blood again.

"Shepard! We have to get you to the _Normandy_."

"No! we have to-" She collapsed and hacked again, the floor beneath her turning red with blood.

"God, that thing hit you hard. Come on, we're getting you to the _Normandy._"

Kaidan slung her arm over his shoulder and headed for the door. Outside, he made sure her helmet was on as they left for the outside.

"James, you read me?"

"_Bar-sig-ne-"_ Static buried the signal and the message.

"Commander Shepard's critically injured. Get the shuttle down here now."

* * *

><p>"<strong>You have got to be fucking kidding me.<strong>" Devon said as they caught sight of the alien.

"**How the- MOVE!**" Greg shouted as he saw something in the corner of his eye. The three soldiers scattered as a blue shuttle rocketed through the air and smashed into the waiting Cerberus shuttle. The Cerberus shuttle crashed and exploded while the blue shuttle, which Greg noted to be flying Alliance colors, rolled for a second before recovering and landing nearby.

"**Find the doctor and the alien. Now. We need that data.**" Greg ordered. Devon and Ian went to search the wreckage while Greg cloaked and approached the other shuttle. He almost laughed at the sorry state Commander Shepard was in. She could barely even stand on her own two feet as she was led into the shuttle.

"**Next time, Commander. Next time.**" He whispered before walking to the wreckage.

"W-wait."

He stopped dead and turned around, still invisible. Shepard was staring straight at him, so he decloaked. "What are you?" Greg smiled behind his helmet. She was both intimidated by and scared of him; he had won the battle both physically and psychologically. "**Nemesis.**" He stated as he cloaked and walked away. "**They call me Nemesis.**"

Devon and Ian had already scoured the wreckage and found neither Dr. Core nor the alien. "**Where are they?**" Greg asked.

"**Gone, sir.**" Ian said. "**We lost them and the data.**"

"**We need to find a way out of here and report to the Illusive Man. He needs to hear about this.**"

"**What about the doctor? Are we going to search anymore?**"

"**No. That storm is moving in too fast. We need to leave now or we're not going to leave for a while. She's on her own.**"

"**Is our shuttle still in orbit?**" Devon asked.

"**Should be.**" Greg sent a microburst transmission to the shuttle, which flew in mere seconds later. They took one last glance back at the Archives before entering the shuttle and leaving Mars.

* * *

><p>Greg could tell that the Illusive Man was slightly less than pleased at their report. "<em>So, Dr. Core is gone as well as the data that she did not send?<em>"

"**Yes, sir.**" Greg said.

"_A minor complication, at best. What Dr. Core sent is more than enough for what we need, but if we're to succeed in defeating the Reapers…_"

"**We need all of the data.**" Ian finished.

"_Yes._"

"**How do we do that?**" Devon asked.

"**We infiltrate the **_**Normandy.**_" Greg said.

"_Precisely. That will come later, though. You'll need a few things beforehand. Head to the Citadel. I've already sent coordinates. I have agents there that can get you what you need._"

"**Yes, sir.**"

"_They'll meet you on the Presidium._"

"**So about infiltrating the **_**Normandy**_**." **Ian said.

"_I'll brief you when you return from the Citadel. I'll be compiling backgrounds for you in the meantime._"

"**Thank you, sir. We won't let you down.**"

"_See that you don't. I've already been more lenient than normal._" The link cut and the three soldiers all let out a sigh at the same time.

"**Well. That went well.**" Devon said.

"**Could've been worse.**" Ian said.

"**It still can be. We could have our cover blown on the Citadel.**" Greg said.

"**Good thing our suits come off.**" Devon said.

"**The one good thing Hargreave did to these suits, am I right?"** Ian asked.

"**No shit.**" The rest of the shuttle ride consisted of several shocked moments when they each removed their Nanosuits and saw their actual flesh and bone personas. Greg was surprised that his USMC fatigues had remained on and intact. He reached into one of his front pockets and pulled out a pair of cogs that hung on a black rope.

"Where'd you get those?" Devon asked.

"I…" The words caught in his mouth. "I'd rather not talk about it. Please… don't-don't ask about it." Greg felt his breath catching in his throat and had to close his eyes to stop the tears.

"Okay."

He stared at the necklace for a second longer before looping it around his neck. A small clink made him inspect the necklace, which revealed a small pendant held between the cogs. In the center was a real, honest-to-God-emerald, held in place by a sterling silver ring. Someone had made it for him a long time ago, but he couldn't remember who had made it or for what reason. But it comforted him to see it again. It reminded him of happier times. Before Lingshan. Before the Nanosuit. Before New York.

He slipped the necklace behind his fatigues before sitting down in the shuttle. "Wait… won't we stick out like sore thumbs there?" Devon asked.

"Right. We would. We'll need civilian clothes."

"Where are we going to get those?"

"We'll have to improvise."

"How?"

"Carefully, you dote. How else?" Ian said.

"You're an ass."

"We established this." Greg said as he cut one of his sleeves off at the elbows.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ian asked.

"Improvising. What else?"

"Why only one sleeve?" Devon asked.

"Because," Greg cut the other sleeve off about halfway up his forearm, "It looks cool. And besides, my arms always roast in this uniform, so I found a way to cool them off."

"Wow." Devon shook his head in disdain.

"Shut up."

"Judgment." Ian said.

"Shut. Up." Greg said indignantly. "What I wear is my business, right?"

"Doesn't mean we have to like it." Devon said.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Greg smirked. "Nothing. I thought so."

"I'm not going to tell you what to wear, dude, but I will tell you that I don't like it. Take it for what it's worth, I guess."

"All right."

"How long until we reach the Citadel?" Ian asked.

"Let's check." Greg went into the cockpit and stopped dead. "Oh, shit."

_There was no one piloting the shuttle._

"What the hell is going on here!?" He shouted. Devon and Ian rushed in and gaped at the sight.

"What the fuck?" Devon said.

"This is bad." Ian added.

"Really, Sherlock?" Greg said with a mocking gasp. "I never would have figured that out. Do you want Watson to help you with your next great case?"

"You're an asshole sometimes."

"I pride myself on my ability to piss off everyone around me."

"If you're quite finished, _who's flying the damn shuttle?_" Devon asked. Ian took a quick glance at the flight computer and made a surprised grunt.

"It's on autopilot. We'll be there in about an hour."

"What? Autopilot?" Devon asked.

"Yeah. Autopilot? You know: where the ship flies itself-"

"We know what autopilot is, smart one." Greg cut in.

"Okay."

Greg sat down in the pilot's chair and stared at the terminals in front of him. "Um…" He said. "Shit. I got nothing."

"Then skedaddle, Major. Let me handle this." Ian said as he took the chair from Greg. His hands danced across the interface and soon the console in front of Ian beeped. "There. I got the wheel now."

"You jackass."

"It's a gift."

"Hey, Major. Are you ever going to tell us where you got that necklace from?" Devon asked from behind them.

"GODDAMNIT I TOLD YOU NOT TO ASK ABOUT THAT!" Greg suddenly exploded.

"Whoa! Shit, man! Calm down! I only asked. Jesus!"

"NO! FUCK YOU! I TOLD YOU!"

"Dude! What is up with you all of a sudden?" Devon asked.

"YOU KNOW I DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT!"

"What don't you talk about?"

"THIS NECKLACE, GODDAMNIT!"

"Why not?"

"I… oh, fuck it. I guess I shouldn't keep it from you any longer."

"Keep what from us? What are you hiding?"

"This necklace… it was… my fiancée's."

"Oh, man. What happened, dude?"

"Lingshan happened, that's what."

"Oh, shit."

"We were almost to the extraction point. The sphere had just come up, and Major Strickland called the retreat. We were maybe three hundred meters from safety when the Ceph scouts found us. I told her to run, but she was always so stubborn, and she…" he coughed and sputtered as he choked on the words, "she got blindsided by one of the bastards. It… It cut her in half, for Christ's sake!"

"Oh, shit. I'm so sorry, man." Devon said.

"Why should _you_ be sorry? That was twenty years ago. _I'm_ the one who should be sorry for hiding it from you two for so long. _I_ should be sorry for not protecting her. _I'm_ the one who screwed up, not you."

"Have you always reacted like that?" Ian asked.

"No. It used to be a lot worse."

"Oh." Greg sat and twiddled his thumbs for a minute before he stripped his shotgun and put it back together… four times. "Is this how you keep your mind off of it?" Devon asked him.

"Just when there's no alcohol around."

"I've never seen you drunk."

"And you should consider yourself fortunate that you haven't. I'm told that I'm a horrible person when I'm drunk."

"I guess we'll have to prove it sometime."

"I'd rather not." He stripped and assembled his shotgun one more time before the shuttle exited the mass relay that connected to the Citadel. Ian took the helm again and had to fight the bureaucracy to get anywhere near the Citadel, much less land on the damn thing.

"Well, let's go get our shit together, shall we?" Greg asked as they left the shuttle.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay! Another chapter done! (Finally). Fallout has really snagged my attention, as have my other stories. So I apologize for the wait. Next chapter will be somewhat of a fill and prep chapter for the next major arc: infiltrating the <strong>_**Normandy**_** and subsequent missions and such. It'll be interesting, I promise. Until then...**

**RELEASING CONTROL.**

**-AG**


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